


a competitive landscape

by helios_ (neocitz)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Idols, Drabble, M/M, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 04:21:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14488692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neocitz/pseuds/helios_
Summary: Lee Donghyuck is the vocalist of rookie group Tende.Mark Lee is the leader of rookie group Boss.





	a competitive landscape

**Author's Note:**

> a .... two thousand ... word drabble
> 
>  
> 
> un-beta'd

‘You’re not allowed to hate him,’ Donghyuck’s leader, Youngho whispers in his ear. ‘I know it’s a crappy situation, but we have to make the best of it. So, smile and pretend that you like him.’

‘I would rather stab myself in the eye with a chopstick,’ Donghyuck forces through his teeth. They’re more gritted than grinning, and his hand is clenched tight around Jaemin’s where they’re standing. ‘Why do we have to do this again?’

‘Because people like the competition and the interaction,’ Taeil says, unbothered by the whole situation. Really, after management forced him on that Weekly Idol segment with the box heads, he’s been a lot calmer in front of the cameras.

‘It’s just,’ Donghyuck exhales as he watches one of Mystic Entertainment’s makeup artists set Mark Lee’s face with powder. ‘This was supposed to be _our_ year.’

‘And it still will be, regardless of what happens with Boss,’ Ten promises, voice sweet but eyes hard as steel.

There is an unspoken rule, in the idol industry, that comebacks overlapping were unavoidable. But under no circumstances were debuts meant to line up to the point where two of the biggest companies, Mystic and Soul Entertainment, debuted a new boy or girl group in the same year.

Then Mark Lee happened.

Donghyuck’s group is still riding off the rush of trying to establish themselves as rookies, a constant cycle of promoting that he’s barely managing to keep on top of.  They had made a decent impact on debuting, thanks to the year-long pre-debut project of rough and dirty variety shows and releases that had convenient crossovers with their much more popular and talented sunbaes.

People know their names and they aren’t at risk of folding before the end of the year.

(They are on track for rookie of the year, according to their manager, but Youngho didn’t like to emphasise that too much.)

But then Mark Lee went on High School Rapper and everyone was talking about the sweet boy from Canada.

Donghyuck can’t blame Mark’s managers, not really. To generate waves like Mark Lee did and then hide him away from the rest of the world would be the biggest waste of potential a company could do.

So, four months after Donghyuck debuts, so does Mark Lee.

They’ve managed to avoid each other for the past few months, although the whispers of Boss and Tende being rivals never really died down. But then they got a phone call, inviting them to a web show where idol groups would compete in silly little games and try to be as natural as possible.

They didn’t think they’d be up against Boss, until they walked into the studio and saw Yukhei Wong bouncing up and down in excitement.

‘This is a friendly game show,’ Youngho repeats for the umpteenth time. It’s directed at Doyoung and Jaehyun, the more pettily competitive members of the group, and Donghyuck, whose steaming at the ears. ‘Perhaps even try to get along with them, it’d be good for the kids to have people their age to talk to.’

Donghyuck scowls, because it’s kind of true.

 

The first few takes are awkward.

Johnny and Yuta, the eldest member of Boss, are friendly and competitive. It takes approximately ten seconds for them to drop the honorifics and then they’re biting friendly insults at each other over a game of table tennis.

It’s about the only thing that goes well.

Doyoung and Jaehyun have, somehow, managed to turn it into a competition between themselves. Taeil is half-enamoured with a scowling Chinese boy called Sicheng, and Ten’s not even trying to disguise his disgust anymore.

‘This is a disaster,’ Donghyuck says, turning to Jaemin.

‘Why are we the only ones with sense on this damn team?’ Jaemin whispers back, ignoring the frustrated sigh of one of the sound guys. ‘Look at manager-hyung.’

Their manager, Taeyong, is watching with wide, horrified eyes. Boss’ manager doesn’t look much better.

Mark Lee stutters through his introduction despite having been leader of his group for at least two months. His team isn’t much better. Their tallest member Yukhei has managed to almost hit his own team member in the face, and their youngest, a boy called Jisung, doesn’t seem all that comfortable in front of the camera. Jungwoo and Jeno are left fielding Doyoung and Jaehyun’s shots in almost fear.

The director yells cut, delighted in a way that is dangerous for all of them. Donghyuck sighs and goes to grab a bottle of water from the table off to the side, Jaemin trailing behind him in solidarity.

Donghyuck is going to be nice, for once.

‘Hey,’ he tosses Jisung a bottle of water and slides down next to him. Jaemin settles in on the other side, and Jisung’s eyes dart between the two of them. ‘You okay out there? You look like you froze up a bit.’

‘I’m,’ Jisung’s voice is low, and it sounds like he has to clear his throat, ‘not exactly sure what I’m supposed to be doing today. And…’

‘Everyone else is distracted?’ Jaemin suggests. It earns a nod from the young boy, who is about as old as the newer trainees at their company. Donghyuck can’t imagine debuting so young. ‘If you want you can stick by us. We might be older than you, but we know what it’s like to be the youngest. We’ve gotta stick together, you know? Hyungs have _no idea_ what they’re talking about.’

‘Exactly,’ Donghyuck says. ‘Did you see how much of a disaster they all were out there?’

‘What are you doing?’ Mark Lee’s voice cuts through, and Donghyuck turns to look up to Boss’ leader. He’s standing there, lips pressed into a tight line with his teammate Jeno standing right behind him.

Donghyuck realises how it looks, two members of another group sitting on either side of his youngest member.

‘Relax, we’re just talking,’ Donghyuck stands up, rolling his shoulders. There are no cameras on him now, Jungwoo and Doyoung seem to be doing a self-cam on the other side of the room so he doesn’t have to pretend. ‘No need to get your knickers in a knot.’

‘That’s not what it looks like,’ Mark says. ‘Jisung, are you sure you’re not okay? You look uncomfortable.’

‘He’s been uncomfortable since the shoot started, which you would have noticed if you had control over your group,’ Donghyuck bites back and Jaemin whispers a little _Hyuck_. ‘But instead you just let him stand there in a corner for twenty minutes.’

Mark rears back, and Donghyuck smirks.

‘Try to actually do your job,’ he hisses, just because he can. ‘Or are you only good for being a pretty boy rapper?’

 

 

The next game is borderline worse.

The director, in a fit of inspiration, splits them into teams rather than have them compete by group. Donghyuck finds himself on team with Doyoung and Boss’ members Sicheng and Jungwoo.

Youngho and Yuta on the same team is a wonderful combination, the two of them already goofing off on camera while Ten laughs. It’ll be good for their image, Youngho has always been the calmer sort of leader and the fans would like to see him let loose.

Jisung and Jaemin are together, at least, and Donghyuck can see the tension between Jisung’s shoulder disappear with every twitch of a smile.

Yukhei introduces the game, with a bleat of laughter. They have to pop all the balloons on an opposing team member’s body, using tools selected from a lucky draw.  It’s not the worst game they’ve ever played, but Donghyuck still despises it because they set him against Mark.

He knows there’s a reason for it, the two faces of the groups against each other in a playful battle. It’s made better by the fact that Donghyuck draws a blank tool, so he has to pop the balloons with his bare hands.

Mark looks fired up, his brows drawn in tight and Donghyuck knows that there’s only one way he’s going to be able to pop the balloons. It’s going to earn him days of teasing from Jaehyun, he just knows it.

‘Ready Lee?’ Donghyuck says, saccharine sweet.

‘When you are,’ Mark forces the smile on his face. ‘You’re not going to win.’

Donghyuck laughs. Because there’s no way he’s going to lose, not against Mark Lee.

Jungwoo blows the whistle, and Donghyuck _tackles_ Mark.

Mark’s stronger and larger than Donghyuck, but Donghyuck has the element of surprise on him and he squeezes Mark in a tight a hug as he can.

He can hear laughter around him, from the different groups, as he attempts to pull Mark in closer. Mark’s trying to struggle out of his grip, and Donghyuck’s starting to feel a cross of exhilaration and amusement as he hears each balloon pop between them.

‘I’m going to win,’ he gasps out and Mark’s laughing now too because this is ridiculous.

It’s two teenaged boys, squirming on the ground as one hugs the other. It’s a foot that accidentally almost gets the other in a kidney, and balloons popping so loud that Donghyuck’s flinching even as squeezes tighter. The cameras are zoomed in on them, but he only sees flashes of them as he tries to win this game.

The final balloon pops and Donghyuck rolls off Mark. He’s heaving for breath, and he looks up to see Jaemin hanging off Jisung in laughter, Youngho’s fallen to the ground and he’s gasping and Ten is just shaking his head.

The directors yell out a satisfied _cut_ and Donghyuck is swept up into the arms of a stylist who rearranges his hair and clothes for him.

 

‘I didn’t realise,’ Mark says, a piece of tissue paper pinned underneath his fringe, ‘that Jisung was as nervous as you said.’

‘It’s easy to overlook,’ Donghyuck admits, fanning himself as they watch the staff reset the stage in front of him. ‘There’s a lot going on today.’

‘I don’t even know why we’re doing this, they’re just furthering this stupid Boss-Tende rivalry,’ Mark looks frustrated. ‘It’s not like we’ve got anything compared to you guys.’

Donghyuck sits up straight, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

‘Everyone knows our debut was rushed,’ Mark sighs, ‘we were meant to study you guys and emulate you next June, maybe? But instead we’re debuting three months after you with no formal plans for the next twelve months and _fuck_ , we’re not ready.’

‘Are you even allowed to be telling me this?’ Donghyuck looks to Mark’s managers, looks to the sound guy and Mark raises an eyebrow.

‘Hyuck,’ Mark says, and maybe Donghyuck’s remembering the young boy who trained with him for six months before _pissing off_ to another company because he liked their image more. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘No,’ Donghyuck shakes his head. ‘I told you that you could talk to me, when we were fourteen. That hasn’t changed, Minhyung.’

Mark sighs, and Donghyuck wonders for the briefest moment what would have happened if they debuted under the same group. Would Mark have been a leader and Donghyuck a maknae?

He doesn’t want to think too hard, because things have changed since they were thirteen and fourteen and singing in a room in front of managers that didn’t care. Donghyuck stayed, and Mark went. And their paths diverged for so long before coming back to where it all began.

Them, together. Having _fun_.

‘Let’s just, try and enjoy this. Even as those idiots do their thing,’ Donghyuck points to where Taeil and Yuta are talking together across the room, and Ten is teaching Jisung and Jeno the choreography for a song that he wants to one day release. ‘Your team might have been rushed out, but you’ve got a good one, I think. Look at mine, we’ve been preparing for years, and we’re a mess.’

‘Thanks,’ Mark turns to Donghyuck and his smile is soft and sweet and Donghyuck finds that he’s missed it a little bit.

 

 

In the final game, the producers bring out a box of Pepero.

Donghyuck smirks, and Mark blushes.

Perhaps the show isn’t as bad as it seems.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](http://twitter.com/neocitz) | [cc](http://curiouscat.me/neocitz)


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